Yesterday I bought my poinsettia. I get one every year. They are beautiful and more important than my Christmas tree. The problem - Every year the poinsettia dies or starts to drop before Christmas. What am I doing wrong? How do you look after a poinsettia and how long should they live?
On another note - This morning I visited Pal's blog and I can't tell you how impressed I was with her word verification. She is so posh, she is having them custom made for Christmas.
14 comments:
Bl**dy prima donnas, they are! We gave up trying...
They get upset if they get too hot (so don't put them near a radiator) or too cold (so don't leave them near a window at night) or draughty (so keep them away from doors/windows) or too dark (so keep them in a well-lit place) or too dry (so make sure the compost is always damp) or too wet (so don't let the compost get soggy)....
Basically, they're artificially prepared, & they sulk! (LOL!)
But I agree they're very beautiful :-)
I love Pal's personalised word! Yours at the moment sounds like a minor female sci-fi character (Ukirimea, Uki to her friends!)
I think they are way too fussy too, but I always seem to keep them alive long enough to enter the New Year :) Here are some DO’s and DON’Ts I found:
DO place your plant in indirect sunlight for at least six hours per day. If direct sun can't be avoided, diffuse the light with a shade or sheer curtain.
DO provide room temperatures between 68 - 70° F. Generally speaking, if you are comfortable, so is your poinsettia.
DO water your plant when the soil feels dry to the touch.
DO fertilize your plant AFTER THE BLOOMING SEASON with a balanced, all-purpose fertilizer.
DON'T place plants near cold drafts, or cold windows, or excessive heat. Avoid placing plants near appliances, fireplaces or ventilating ducts or the top of a television.
DON'T expose plants to temperatures below 50° F. Poinsettias are sensitive to cold.
DON'T over water your plant, or allow it to sit in standing water. Always remove a plant from any decorative container before watering, and allow the water to drain completely.
Good luck!
I think they are pretty, but plants can be a lot of work. I have my hands full with a dog and the few plants that were left to me that I am desperately trying to keep alive. I don't think I could handle the responsibility of a poinsettia.
too hot in singapore for them. but they are lovely. good luck with yours. have a good weekend {{Kat}}
Kat,
that video was from this site
http://www.beatles.com/
Do you know that poinsettias are from
Mexico. Isn't that strange?
Dakota, that sounds like good advice
for MY care too ;-)
Wish I could help. Poinsettas are the one thing I cannot kill. They live well forever with me. But I don't buy them anymore because they are poisonous for cats.
Personalized words??? I have to check that out.
I wish I could help you with advice for your poinsettia, but I have the same problem!
I still buy them every year, though.
Thanks for your help everyone.
Bluefluff - so the fireplace isn't a good idea then? No wonder they die every year.
Dakota - Thanks for the detailed help. I'll print that out for future reference.
Fonzie - no I'm not sure I can handle the responsiblity either.
Boo - Thanks for the good wishes but I don't honestly hold out much hope for this poinsettia. The only suitable place in the house seems to be the draining board by the sink, and only then if I half close the blinds.
Phil. No I didn't know they came from Mexico. You learn something every day. I can't find that video on the Beatles site. Which page is it on?
Paula - you and me both
EchoMouse. You seem to be the only person in the world who can keep poinsettias forever. Is Canada the only suitable place apart from Mexico do you think?
Poinsettia's are indigenous to Mexico. They like warm spots with light and moderate water. They seem to thrive around these parts.
This year there are blue ones out in the stores. They are kinda pretty even though I know they were fed blue dye.
Go to:
http://www.beatles.com/
Then click Let It Be...Naked
Then Flash or HTML (not sure what the difference is)
Then Exclusive New Two Of Us Video
Thanks for saving my word verification, wonder what the odds are for personalisation like that!
Yours is much harder atm :
jdjpmzdx
Hi Wendy
Everything seems to be turning blue this year. All the Christmas lights around here are blue and I am not sure that I like it - it looks odd.
Found it, Phil. Thanks
A friend had a Christmas tree plantation - they colour sprayed them about a month before selling.
WV Jah u am.
Who am you??
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